Brock Purdy, Fred Warner ink massive contract extensions, Dean Blandino shares thoughts on Tush Push

Summary

Scoop City: Brock Purdy, Fred Warner Ink Massive Contract Extensions, Dean Blandino Shares Thoughts on Tush Push
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Hosted by The Athletic

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Introduction

In this episode of Scoop City: A Show About the NFL, host Chase Daniel delves into significant developments within the San Francisco 49ers organization. The discussion centers around two major contract extensions for key players—quarterback Brock Purdy and linebacker Fred Warner—and explores the potential ban of the popular "Tush Push" play through insights from former NFL VP of Officiating, Dean Blandino.

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Brock Purdy's Contract Extension

Timestamp: [02:19]

Chase Daniel kicks off the episode by breaking the news that Brock Purdy and the 49ers have agreed to a five-year, $265 million contract extension, making Purdy one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. This deal, which includes $181 million guaranteed and averages around $53 million per year, ties Purdy to the 49ers until 2030.

Chase Daniel:

"Brock Purdy goes from mystery relevant and pick number 262 to the $265 million man."

Vic Tafur, The Athletic's Senior NFL Insider, provides an in-depth analysis of the deal:

Timestamp: [04:52]

Vic Tafur:

"He's kind of proven he's got a high floor. He's got... still got upside. He kind of jumped... he kind of earned that a couple of years ago."

Tafur emphasizes that the extension was a mutual agreement aimed at fairness, avoiding the drama seen in previous contract negotiations within the team. He highlights Purdy's impressive record—36 starts with 23 wins, a Super Bowl appearance, two NFC championships, and 9,500 passing yards—as justification for the substantial payday.

Chase Daniel:

"When you look at it as a percentage tied to the team's salary cap... he comes in right below 19% of his yearly salary cap, ranking him 14th overall. To me, that makes a lot of sense."

Tafur agrees, noting that Purdy's performance and leadership have cemented his value within the organization, making the extension a strategic move to secure the team's future despite losing eight starters from the previous season.

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Fred Warner's Contract Extension

Timestamp: [09:25]

The conversation shifts to Fred Warner, who has signed a three-year, $63 million contract extension with $56.7 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid interior linebacker in the NFL, surpassing Roquan Smith.

Chase Daniel:

"Fred Warner's new deal means they've locked up the guy they want for the long haul."

Vic Tafur:

"He’s shown he's arguably the best linebacker in the league... a great leader both on and off the field."

Tafur underscores Warner's leadership and defensive prowess, highlighting his role in mentoring younger players and maintaining high performance standards within the defense. The extension signifies the 49ers' commitment to building a strong defensive core around Warner, ensuring continuity and stability.

Chase Daniel:

"With Dre Greenlaw moving to the Broncos, Warner becomes the unquestioned leader. How does this fit into Robert Sala's defensive scheme?"

Vic Tafur:

"Warner can make plays all over the field... he’ll guide the younger linebackers and maintain the defensive strength the team relies on."

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Potential Ban of the Tush Push

Timestamp: [14:35]

The episode transitions to the contentious topic of the Tush Push play, with former NFL VP of Officiating, Dean Blandino, providing his perspective on the proposed ban.

Chase Daniel:

"Could the Tush Push be shoved right out of the game? Dean Blandino joins us with his thoughts."

Dean Blandino:

"I personally don’t think player safety is the right reason to ban it... it’s more about whether it’s a fair play."

Blandino argues that the push is not inherently more dangerous than other short-yardage plays but raises concerns about competitive fairness and the difficulty in officiating the play consistently.

Chase Daniel:

"There’s zero injury history... It might be a way to get a play out of the playbook that one team is really good at."

Blandino explains the challenges officials face in consistently enforcing the ban, especially with linemen's involvement during the play. He anticipates that while there might be an initial crackdown with increased penalties, maintaining strict enforcement could become problematic as teams seek loopholes.

Timestamp: [18:57]

The discussion delves into potential rule interpretations and how teams might adapt if the ban passes. Blandino predicts that clear-cut rules will be necessary to prevent teams from exploiting the ban through various push techniques.

Dean Blandino:

"They’re heading towards a bright line— you can’t push the ball carrier or a teammate. It’s similar to pre-2006 rules."

Chase Daniel raises concerns about the broader implications, questioning whether banning the Tush Push could set a precedent for eliminating other plays based on safety or fairness, to which Blandino acknowledges the uniqueness of this situation but remains open to observing how the rule evolves.

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Conclusion

Chase Daniel wraps up the episode by highlighting the exceptional offseason for the 49ers, marked by key contract extensions and strategic roster moves aimed at returning to playoff contention. The potential ban of the Tush Push adds another layer of intrigue as the league grapples with balancing competitive fairness and maintaining the traditional essence of the game.

Chase Daniel:

"It’s going to be interesting to see Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson this year because the Bears have done everything to put a legitimate team around Caleb."

The episode underscores the dynamic nature of NFL team management and rule-making, providing listeners with comprehensive insights into the strategic decisions shaping the future of the 49ers and the league at large.

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Notable Quotes

• Chase Daniel [02:19]:
  "Brock Purdy goes from mystery relevant and pick number 262 to the $265 million man."

• Vic Tafur [04:52]:
  "He's kind of proven he's got a high floor. He's got... still got upside. He kind of jumped... he kind of earned that a couple of years ago."

• Chase Daniel [09:25]:
  "Fred Warner's new deal means they've locked up the guy they want for the long haul."

• Dean Blandino [14:35]:
  "I personally don’t think player safety is the right reason to ban it... it’s more about whether it’s a fair play."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Scoop City provides an in-depth look at pivotal moments for the 49ers, highlighting the strategic financial commitments to key players and addressing significant rule changes that could impact the game's future. With expert insights from Vic Tafur and Dean Blandino, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing team dynamics and league regulations.

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Stay tuned for upcoming episodes on Tuesdays and Fridays for all the NFL conversation you need!

Transcript

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[Chase Daniel]

Hey guys, welcome back to Scoop City. I'm Chase Daniel and as you can see, I'm hosting Solo today. Diana Rossini is breaking news at the league meetings, but we have some amazing guests set up for you today. The owners are set to meet again this week and the headline is, you guessed it, the Tush Push. This rule change came up at last owners meeting after gaining more momentum than maybe anticipated. Could it actually be banned? More to come on that when former VP of Officiating for the NFL and current rules analyst for Fox Sports Dean Blandino joins us. Plus, Caleb Williams wanted to be a Viking. What are we doing Will the drama in Chicago hold the second year quarterback back? Or will Ben Johnson unlock the offense's potential? But we really should start things off with quarterback news that our girl broke Diana. At the end of last week, Brock purdy and the 49ers agreed to a five year extension that pays the quarterback $265 million. He was mystery relevant. Now he's making $265 million. Here's what we're hearing around the league. Brock Purdy goes from mystery relevant and pick number 262 to the $265 million man. The Athletics Vic Tafers joins us in Scoop City to talk brock and the 49ers. And in case you were under a rock, let me just tell you what went down. They agreed to a five year, $265 million extension that ties them to the 49ers until 2030. Purdy gets 181 million in guaranteed money, which, oh my gosh, that's a lot of money. And Purdy will receive over 165 million in the first three years of the new deal. The deal averages out to be around $53 million per year. And Purdy gets 55 million in new money on average for the first three years. This slots him tied for seventh highest paid quarterback. Tua is up there. Jared Goff is up there. And in his first three seasons with the 49ers, he's been phenomenal. Vic, I don't know if you follow me at all or anything. I am a huge Brock Purdy fan. He's started 36 games and he's won 23 of them. He's been to a Super bowl, two NFC championships, games thrown for 9,500 yards. We can just go on and on and on. Bring us through this deal, man. How in the world did this go down? We knew it was coming down the pipeline. But take us inside.

[Vic Tafur]

I think it was a cool thing where both sides were kind of thinking the same thing, like, we're not going to break the bank. We're going to get you paid a fair deal. There was a lot of drama last year with Trent Williams and Ayuk and they want to avoid that. And I think when you're mystery relevant, I think you don't really deal in drama. You kind of like you get what you think you have coming and you're happy with that. And clearly you mentioned the numbers. $181 million guaranteed. It sounds craz, but it also sounds fair in this market. I think he's kind of proven he's got a high floor. He's got. Still got upside. I think he's kind of showed last year what he can do when guys were hurt. So I think teammates swear by him. They say he's that guy. He's kind of come in, you know, unassuming, kind of earned his stripes. And I think it's. I think it's a. It sounds crazy, but I think it's a fair payday. I think both sides are happy with it.

[Chase Daniel]

Yeah. And I would agree with you. Like, some people are saying, hey, it's an overpay. Some people are like, oh, it's just the right spot. I think it's just the right spot because a lot of people, rightfully so out there that don't know a lot about how deals get done like this. They look at the apy, which is the average per year right now it says 53. It slots them literally like point, like $100,000 behind Tua, however, that makes him the seventh highest paid. And they're like, well, he's not the seventh best quarterback in the EFL. And I tend to disagree with that. But my whole thing is when you look at it like this, and that is a percentage tied to the team's salary cap, which is how a lot of GMs and a lot of teams look at this, he comes in right below 19% of his total of his yearly salary. For a team salary cap, that ranks him 14th, 14th overall. To me, that makes a lot of sense. Can you speak to people that are saying, hey, this is an overpay because. Because I could not disagree more. It's going to look like a bargain when the salary cap goes above 300 million.

[Vic Tafur]

Yeah, like I said, 14th. You look at some of the names, even though the average per year, guys who are right above him, like Trevor Lawrence, I mean, just Trevor Lawrence shown he's a top five, top ten guy, you know, I mean, even tua. So I think you're looking at a guy who's kind of proven himself and again, to me, it's all about the floor. Like, I mean, he's shown he's a pretty good quarterback. He's not going to get worse. If anything, he'll get better. And in a couple years, this average will probably fall. It'll be lower in terms of the way he ranks among the quarterbacks. So you lock them up. I think that was a key part of this team's plan this offseason. Kind of get. They lost eight starters from last year. There's some roster turnover but look at the core guys. There's still seven, like, core stud players who are still there, and he's one of them. I mean, some people don't realize that are in the league. Some people say, you know What? He's still Mr. Irrelevant. But like I said, I think he's shown himself. He's proven teammates and coaches and his GM that he's the guy.

[Chase Daniel]

Was the call to extend Purdy an organizational call, or was it Kyle Shanahan saying, hey, you're my guy. We want you for the next five years?

[Vic Tafur]

I think both. I think definitely he's proven he's. He's Kyle's guy. I think he kind of earned that a couple of years ago, is kind of, you know, he's jumped. All the guys in the roster were above him. We're getting more money. I think, organizationally, I think if you're John Lance or the owner, you look at the whole Trey Lance debacle and this guy kind of saved you. I mean, you wound up wasting three draft picks, you know, high draft picks. Trey Lance, who was a total. A little bust, and the total miscalculation by the organization. And you'd be in really bad shape if not for Brock Purdy kind of coming on mystery, relevant last pick, earns a starting job, is actually good, actually gets better, actually has some leadership moxie, carries him well in the locker room. Just saved the day for them. I think they kind of owed him this, and they realized that, like I said, they were happy with this deal. He's happy with this deal. No one's looking to get even more rich than where they are. I think they wanted a fair deal. And this is a quote, unquote, a fair deal.

[Chase Daniel]

Yeah. And what's the view of him within the 49ers organization? Because in my opinion. Right. They probably wouldn't do this if they don't think they can get back to a Super Bowl. However, they have lost a lot of talent, and I know they've parted ways with quite a few guys. What's the view on him? Can he lead them to another Super Bowl?

[Vic Tafur]

Christian McCaffrey seems like he's fully healthy, fully back to go. Trent Williams still back to still. Nick Bosa, still some real, really, really great players in this roster and you're hoping to build around them. They had a huge draft class. A bunch of defensive guys they brought in. They have high hopes for those guys. So Ayo could be back. I think not before too long. And, you know, Ricky Purcell, I think, is a guy that has A lot of upside. There's definitely, I think, George Kittle. There's still a lot of talent on offense. They think they can get back to super bowl with, with, with, with Brock Purdy.

[Chase Daniel]

All right, Vic, we gotta ask you about Fred Warner. The news is literally breaking as we are recording this. The 49ers and All Pro linebacker Fred Warner terms on a new three year contract extension worth a whopping $63 million. And he gets $56.7 million guaranteed. He's the highest paid interior backer in the entire NFL. He surpasses Roquan Smith. We say all that. Man, what a day for Fred Warner. What does he bring to the table? What does this mean for the 49ers?

[Vic Tafur]

It just means that they got the guy they want to lock up for a long time. I guess he's shown, he's kind of, you know, arguably the best linebacker in the league. I think he's. People love his play both around the league. I think he's shown also he's a great leader in house. I think they talk about, you know, talk to young guys who were in the locker room last week, the rookies. They all talk about, hey, man, Fred Warner is the guy. He's going to lead us. He's going to talk to us already. He's lead by example. So I think the veterans the same way. Just a guy who clearly has what it takes to lead this team both on and off the field.

[Chase Daniel]

And looking at the loss of Dre Greenlaw to the Denver Broncos, you can imagine that this is probably a huge deal for the 49ers to get their future locked up. How do you think he plays back into Robert Salas scheme? He is now the unquestioned leader. He has been for the 49ers. How do you think this matches with Robert Salis scheme matches?

[Vic Tafur]

Well, I think we talked about how he wants to bring back, you know, the kind of old flavor he had back in the day. So I think you have a guy here who can make plays all over the field. He's definitely read defenses and kind of show the younger guys on the field around him, like Nick Martin, a linebacker, rookie linebacker, probably playing next to him. He'll tell Nick where to go and kind of what to do and kind of be a nicely guiding force for these young guys on this defense.

[Chase Daniel]

So let's just recap this off season for the 49ers before we get off this because it has been nothing but exceptional stuff. They paid Brock Purdy, okay. They paid George Kittle. They Rehired Robert Sala. They re signed Fred Warner. They re hauled the special teams. They added 18 rookies. They've overseen health returns during CMC coming back. They've worked to tailor the offense around Purdy. They've renovated a new defense. I mean, they have the easiest schedule in the NFL. What are the expectations for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers this year after missing the playoffs last year?

[Vic Tafur]

It's kind of funny because we rewind like three months ago, everyone was freaking out, like, I lost eight starters. They're. They're horrible. They're not. What are they doing? They're like, they had no idea. But now you look, you know, and they're in good shape. Like you mentioned, the schedule is really nice and definitely it's so I think they're looking at a return to 1112 win level to get back to the playoffs and contend. I think they have a shot. Again, a lot depends on these young guys. You mentioned five starters on defense, rookie starters and defense. So those guys got to come up, but the offense should be fine. I think the defense has enough juice, I think, around those young guys. Just get them back into that playoff mix.

[Chase Daniel]

All right, speaking defensively, let's stay there. Robert Sala is back in the saddle for defensive coordinator. But this team lost some big names like Dre Greenlaw to the Denver Broncos, who is a leader on defense. Their draft was focused on defense. What do you think this 49ers group will look like?

[Vic Tafur]

I think ideally it looked like the team that had was solid, was here last time. They kind of got these guys in his draft through the same mold as the guys they had back then. So you look at the big guys up front. They got Michael Williams, who can kind of, you know, give you the pass rush and also play inside a little bit. He's a big, physical guy. He sets the edge pretty well. They got Alfred Collins, a huge guy in the middle who can kind of clog it up and maybe get you some more runs. Run defense, CJ west, another D tackle, Nick Martin, the kind of guy feels that Greenlock kind of role. A guy flies all over the field, a linebacker. So I think they definitely had a mindset like, you know what? This is a Robert Salah defense. Let's get the guys very similar to what they had in the past. They targeted these guys in the draft. They got the guys they wanted. So he's very excited about this core. So I think you're looking at it could be four or five starters, rookie starters this year. On defense. So if that all pans out, then definitely this whole thing gets know pushed a little faster than people think.

[Chase Daniel]

Yeah. Vic, thanks so much for joining us man. I'm, I'm, I'm glad that for right now it's been a drama less offseason unlike last offseason for you guys and hopefully it carries over to some team success for the 49ers. Thanks for so much for joining us.

[Vic Tafur]

All right, bud, Appreciate it.

[Chase Daniel]

All right, coming up, could the Tush bush be shoved right out of the game? The NFL owners are set to vote on banning the play. Former VP of Officiating Dean Blandino joins us with his thoughts next.

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[Chase Daniel]

All right everyone, welcome back to Scoop City. The NFL owners are scheduled to meet this week to vote on banning our favorite play, the Tush Push. Former VP of Officiating for the NFL and and current rules analyst for Fox Sports. And current teammate Dean Blandino joins us to talk about the fate of the Tush Push. Dean, how are you doing, man?

[Dean Blandino]

I'm doing good. I'm doing good. Good to good to catch up.

[Chase Daniel]

Yes. So the Tush Push ban introduced by Green Bay gained momentum during the April zoners meetings. They then tabled that for a vote for this week coming Tuesday or Wednesday. And Green Bay's reasons were really simple. Player safety, pace of play. Tell us what you know about banning the tush push.

[Dean Blandino]

Well, you know, I personally, I don't think player safety is the right. I don't that I. Not that I think that's disingenuous because, look, there's. There's inherent risk in playing football, you know better than me. And I don't think the data says that the tush push is any more dangerous than other short yardage plays. I think this is more about, you know, is this. To me, it's more about is this a fair play? Is, is this. Should you be able to push the ball carrier to gain that advantage when for many years prior to 2006 it was illegal, you couldn't push the ball carrier. And so usually in my experience, when something gets tabled to march from the March meeting to the May meeting, that usually means there's an undercurrent, especially from the league office perspective, that they want to try to get this out. So, look, if I had to bet, I would think it probably gets voted out. I don't. I'm not 100% sure. I'm not. I don't think this is a slam dunk, but I do feel like there is a. There is a. Just, no pun intended, but there is a pretty big push to. That's gaining momentum to get this. To get this out.

[Chase Daniel]

And that's my whole thing is there's just zero injury history. And even NFL executive Troy Vincent said there were no injuries on the play in 2024. I think it's a way to get a play out of the playbook, in my opinion, Dean, that one team is really, really good at. And people are saying, oh, it's a rugby scrum. Oh, it's a. This play under the current rule as it is right now, it is a legal play. So we had an even split at the April meeting. How do you think teams will adjust to it if the rules do pass?

[Dean Blandino]

Well, what's going to be interesting is the downfield stuff, because what this approach initially, Green Bay, the proposal was to get rid of just the tush push, and the league then took a step back and said, no, let's look at this big picture and let's look at the downfield, the scrum, the linemen coming in, pushing that pile. I think that's going to be more difficult. I think that's the one that was the reason why the Language came out in the early 2000s because it wasn't being officiated. The Tush push didn't exist. Right. This play, as we see it today, didn't exist. So I think it's that downfield stuff that's going to be tougher to officiate. I think when those linemen are coming in, you know, and that that runner gets stacked up and now the linemen are pushing, the defensive linemen are pushing. That's what's going to be interesting to me as to, are we going to throw flags? Are we just going to blow the whistle? That's going to be a challenge.

[Chase Daniel]

And that's sort of my next question, because I saw Jim Harbaugh of the Chargers come out and say something like a way around the rule as it's written, like, hey, can I get extra offensive linemen? And can you push the guards if you can't push the center? And I think there's already ways that are. People are trying to figure out ways around it. If you're a referee, how do you actually officiate that play if there are little workarounds around it? Because it seems to be like it'll be a judgment call on the field.

[Dean Blandino]

Yeah. And whenever you're writing rules, whenever you're changing rules, there's three main things you look at. You look at player safety, you look at competitive fairness, and then you look at can the play be officiated consistently. And you never want to write rules that the officials are going to have a hard time judging in real time. And that's one of those things I think the language does still cover, you know, pushing the guards. Really, you can't push a teammate or a ball carrier. Only you can block an opponent, that type of thing. And I think initially, if this goes in, you're going to see a lot of flags, especially in the preseason, to kind of just, hey, can't do this, can't do this, can't do this. Really hit it hard so that teams don't even attempt it. But in my experience, that happens. And then over time, you kind of get a little more lax, a little more. You don't throw as many flags, and then it's like, all right, we're back where we started. And that's always the concern with a change like this. You've got to consistently officiate it, and you can't back off, because, like you said, teams are going to try to figure out a way around it. They're going to adjust, they're going to try to do different things. And ultimately the biggest deterrent is the flag, right? That, that, that whether it's a 10 yard penalty, which I think that's what it'll be, that's going to be the biggest deterrent. And if you don't have that, there's really no, there's no incentive for, for teams to, to not do it.

[Chase Daniel]

Yeah. And obviously if the Eagles, you're like, hey, we have perfected this. They believe it's a traditional football player where you have coaches like Sean McVeigh come on and said, I just don't like it. It just. Right. Is it considered a traditional football play in the terms of officials right now or is it just a point to like where it's like a rugby scrum? Like how do, how does the league in the NFL? I'm just trying to figure out. Dean. I'm obviously for it. I'm trying to figure out why they are trying to ban something that someone else is really good at. Because there's no entry concerns. Sure.

[Dean Blandino]

Yeah. I think the way I look at it, look, and I've kind of gone both ways on this, I think aesthetically you think of the NFL and I don't think this is a good reason to get rid of it, but it's like, does this play, you know, showcase the athletic, the grace, the talent? It probably doesn't, but it's a. Eagles have perfected it. It's not an easy play. Watch around the NFL and college football when other teams try to do it. So there is skill involved, there is a tactical way to do this and do it well and put in the work. I just think that for me, my reason is again, it is a hard play to officiate when, when you've got all those bodies in that middle of that pile. And it's really tough even in replay to find the football. I just think when you think of we don't let the defense push the runner back once the runner's stopped and forward progress is stopped and he gets pushed back 10 yards. Right. We don't, we don't make him lose that 10 yards. We bring him back to where the progress was stopped and here the offense is gaining the advantage. Right. The defense may have them stacked up and now we're going to get four or five guys pushing and they're going to gain five or six, seven yards, whatever it may be. So I think there is that unfairness to, to me would be a reason to say let's get rid of it. Like we talked about. The, the player, the player Safety data. The data isn't there.

[Chase Daniel]

Yeah, absolutely. A couple more questions and I'll. And I'll let you go because I know you're busy at Big Ten meetings. So when I was talking to Diana about this play and she was at the league meetings and she was talking to a ton of people, it was obviously an even split vote. She said a lot of the teams were focused on how the rule was written when they were trying to ban it. Right. And the whole thing that came up with her was immediate. Do you see, like a potential complete ban of pushing players at all? Or do you think there are certain loopholes that certain teams may be, hey, I want it written this way. Hey, you can't immediately push a player. Or, or maybe you can only use it on 4th and goal from the red zone. Do you think that is something that could happen? Or do you think in your opinion, the NFL just say, hey, just let's just. No blurred lines, let's just cut it out.

[Dean Blandino]

I think that. I think they're heading in because that, that language, right, that word immediate was problematic because what is immediate? Right? What can I. Wait a second. And now we can push the runner. And that would have been really hard to. To. To judge for the officials. So I think where they've headed now is bright line. You can't push the ball carrier. You can't push a teammate. And again, now the next step, if that does pass, they basically went back to the old language, the pre 2006 language that said you can't push, pull, lift a runner off the ground to aid him to gain yardage. So they basically went back to that language which covers all of it. And now that gets passed. Now you're going to have to officiate it. And that's going to be the next challenge if this does go through.

[Chase Daniel]

And the last question for me before I let you go, thanks so much for joining us. It just seems that they're picking and choosing when I say they, the NFL and teams are picking and choosing rules or stuff to place in and out of the game. Right. If you're banning a normal football play as it's written right now, do you think this could lead to other plays being banned for safety concerns? And I do air quotations because I don't know if you can see me. But, like, that's the precedent that it sets, in my opinion.

[Dean Blandino]

There's no question. Look, this. And this is unusual. I have not, in my experience, very few times was it one play that one team or one player was either very good at or using where the league targeted that going back. Remember, Roy Williams played for the Cowboys. The safety, the horse collar, this was a guy that was using that technique more, more than other players were at the time. And it was, obviously there was real safety concern on that play. I think you talk to the health and safety people on the Tush Push, they are concerned about the potential. But again, I don't think there's any data that says it's more or less likely than on other short yardage plays. So I don't, I don't know if there's a real concern, you know, going forward because I don't think there are other plays right now like this Tush Push. It's so unique and it has become, it's become such a lightning rod. And again, and look, and it's, and look, I don't know if the Eagles don't win the super bowl. Are we, are we talking about this? It's a fair question. It's a fair question. But again, I'm going to be very interested to see how this plays out, as I'm sure everybody, everybody else will be. And we'll, we'll see, we'll see what, what the vote is.

[Chase Daniel]

All right, D man, I appreciate you taking the time. Thanks so much for joining us. Coming up, Dr. In Chicago ahead of Caleb Williams second year with the Bears. How can he overcome it? And how can Ben Johnson unlock another level for the young quarterback? That's next on Scoop City.

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[Chase Daniel]

All right guys, welcome back to Scoop City. You got to listen to this story because it's almost unbelievable. Late last week, a story from ESPN Seth Wickersham his new book American Kings, a biography of the quarterback. It detailed Caleb Williams journey to becoming a Chicago Bear and William's father Carl was reportedly exploring options for his son to avoid going to the Bears. All right, this is an interesting situation. Let me lay it out for you if you haven't heard and then I'm going to react to it because I do have quite a bit of thoughts. So the Bears quarterback and father explored options to avoid getting drafted by the Bears, meaning he wanted to pull an Eli Manning situation where Eli was drafted by the Chargers, went to New York. It's an interesting situation because it really hasn't been done a long time. They even looked at some litigation and the collective bargaining agreement on how they could actually not go number one overall. Eventually the story goes on to say, hey, you know what? Caleb Williams said I want to play for Chicago. So that crushed it. Here's the interesting thing. So Carl, Caleb's father, he actually consulted with Archie Manning, who orchestrated the Eli Manning trade. And during the scouting combine, like I was saying, Williams decided and I and Keyword here decided he wanted to be drafted by the Vikings. But Bears GM at the time Ryan Poles told Williams that the Bears would be drafting him no matter what because it is a draft. It's not a lottery. If you're number one and you're the best player available, that's where you're going to go. Williams later changed his mind after a pre draft meeting and told his father, I can do it for this team. I'm going to the Bears. Seth Wickersham's book, get this so American Kings. It's expected to come out September 9, 2025 and if you don't have your calendars handy, that is a Tuesday, one day after the Monday Night Football Week 1 Vikings at Bears game So a couple reactions from me. It lacks self awareness from Caleb Williams and it doesn't only lack self awareness, it lacks a little bit of self awareness from his dad as well. Look, I get it. You have the power. You were the number one overall pick. You were a so quote unquote, generational talent. For me, not wanting to join the Bears or any team for that matter, it lacks a little bit of competitiveness. How about saying, I'm the one that's going to turn this franchise around? Okay, so that's one angle of it. The real angle of it that sort of irked me was the film study part. And I think this fault sort of lies with both Caleb and the Bears coaching staff. How in the world if you so called don't know how to watch film? Because that's what Caleb Williams had said. Hey, I don't know how to watch film. Someone just tells me what to turn it on and I turn on. I find that hard to believe. You went to USC and Oklahoma and you followed Lincoln Riley, who's known in the ranks of colleges being able to develop quarterbacks. He's had quite a few Heisman winners. So how do you not know how to watch film? That's my biggest thing. And I don't believe mostly the fact that the Bears coaching staff didn't work with him at all on how to watch film. And look, NFL franchises are different. Sometimes you have coaches that are really involved and say, hey, you need to watch this, you need to watch that. But my thing is you're an NFL athlete and you're a generational talent that went number one overall. If you didn't know how to watch film or if the Bears weren't working with you, which I find a hard time to believe, you could have picked up the phone. Guess who you could have called? You could have called Eli Manning. He would have picked up. You could have called Drew Brees. I live right by him. I know for a fact he would have picked up. You could have called Tom Brady, who's currently mentoring Shador Sanders, and he would have picked up as well. You could have asked all of those potential hall of Famers how to watch film. What do you watch? And here's my thing about the NFL quarterback position. There's a difference on how to watch film. And when you watch film, like the how. Okay, I get it. But to actually watch the film, if you open up an iPad that the team gives you, you're going to see cut ups first, second, third, down, you're going to see down and distance. On third. Down, you're going to see second, third and 2 to 3, third and 4 to 6. You're going to get these advanced scouting reports from teams even the week before you play, and it tells you exactly what you should be expecting. So the fact that an NFL quarterback should have to have his handheld, in my opinion, watching film, that's what I struggle with. Look, I also blame the Bears a little bit. They didn't have a backup quarterback that was a veteran. They had some guys that were young. Tyson Bagent, Brett Rippen was there in camp, but he wasn't there during the season to teach Caleb Williams a routine. And everyone needs a routine. Watching film. Look, Tuesdays are the off day, and most NFL quarterbacks are in watching film. Now, maybe not tell you what to watch, but how to watch. Hey, you're watching for corners, and you're watching for safeties, and you're watching for tells from the defensive front. This is all stuff that a lot of guys nowadays are learning in high school, and a lot of guys have perfected it by college. Now, look, I get it. Like, for me, I learned from a future hall of Famer, Drew Brees. I was a rookie, and I'll remember the first day that I went into the Saints organization. The quarterback coach at the time, Joe Lombardi, told me, hey, just do what Drew does. And I said, well, what do you mean? He's like, just do what Drew does and you will be successful. Sure enough, 14 later, I was 14 years later, I was successful. But also in that room was Mark Brunel. We had an exact routine on how to watch the film. And I'm gonna break this down for you. So Sunday and Caleb, you can use this if you want. Many NFL quarterbacks follow this. So just you could have reached out to somebody like Drew Brees or Peyton Manning. Even Sunday, you play the game, okay? You go home, you hang out, you relax. Monday you're in, you get a workout in. And Monday, you are with the coaches and you are watching the film. You are breaking it down. What went right, what went wrong. And on Monday, before you go home, you get an advanced scouting report. Say you're playing the Titans. Next Sunday, you'll get an advanced scouting report that's 30 pages thick, and it'll tell you how to beat the Titans. And it'll tell you, hey, here's what they like to do on first and second down. Here's what they like to do on third down. Here's what they like to do in the red zone. Here's what they like to do in two minute. Usually don't watch a lot of film of the next opponent on Monday because you just want to go relax. So that happens. Tuesday's off day. Most, most players don't come in that day because it's a coach's day to get ready they game plan that day. Quarterbacks though, everywhere I've ever been and this is what Drew taught me. You're in. We're in from 8am to 2 or 3pm and what are you doing during that time? You have a notebook out, you have pen and you a piece of paper. And you're watching in our. In our way. You're watching the last four games. Say you're playing the Titans from the Tennessee Titans. And when you're watching those games, each game should take about an hour because you're looking at how the defensive coordinator calls it. Who's the defensive coordinator? When do they like the pressure? How do they like the pressure? And you're just getting a snapshot of what this team looks like. And when I'm saying these days, the key thing here is you're always staying one day ahead of the rest of the team. You're pretty much on the coach's schedule. So when you come in on a Wednesday a.m. wednesday is the first full practice day in the NFL. When you come in on a Wednesday a.m. okay, you will watch base dog and blitzes. And chase is like, just talk to me normally, not bait. It is first and second down pressures. What does a team do on first and second down? And you're writing it down. The quarterback coach will come in, hey, here's how we protect this. Look, here's how we need to do this. There's a whole plan of it. But you're in early. Okay? Then you have a full day of practice when everyone else goes home. Guess what? You're staying. Because third down day is Thursday. But we're going to watch it on Wednesday PM we're going to get a snapshot of what they do on third down. So on Thursday when they come in and they install the place, we have a head start. Then Thursday a.m. you're doing it all again, but you're in before everyone else and you're watching third down pressures. You're getting a pressure plan together on how to protect yourself at the line of scrimmage. And Thursday night, guess what? You're staying. You're ordering pizza, you're hanging with the quarterbacks and you're studying red zone. Why Are you studying red zone Chase? Well, red zone comes on Friday. Okay. Friday morning you're in early. You're studying two minute because two minutes, the most important part of the game. You're studying what they do, how their tendencies are. What does the coach like to bring pressure after you cross the 50. Does the coach like to bring pressure? If you are on third down and you're all this stuff, you're learning their tendencies, you have to put the man hours in. Saturday's a free day. You can do whatever you want. I say all this because it's a bad look for Chicago. It's a bad look for Caleb a little bit. And I know we've moved on, but I just wanted to make sure that we hit on that because watching film is paramount for NFL quarterbacks success. You Long gone are the days you can just show up and not what know what they're doing because so much of the game is played mentally. Thank you for listening to my soapbox. It was confusing. It may be awesome. You may not like it. Those are my thoughts on how to improve the Chicago Bears. It's going to be interesting to see Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson this year because I've been with Ben Johnson in the Detroit Lions organization before. He knows his stuff. He will have Caleb Williams prepared. The Bears have done everything in their power to put a legitimate team around Caleb Williams. I think this year the pressure is fully on Caleb Williams. That's going to do it for our show. Thank you for listening to Scoop City. Tag me next time.

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